30 Days Hath September 2016 | Day 12 | We Were on the Way to the Protest March or Brunch by Joanna Fuhrman

September 12, 2016

We Were on the Way to the Protest March or Brunch

When I say

my tweet

is a bullet

headed

straight

into the heart

of Capitalism,

who is wearing

a frayed,

Cookie Monster

costume

stolen from

a West Texas

frat house,

what I mean is

that words

are the net

that keeps

the acrobats

from falling

into the gaping

mouths of

the toddler masses,

and this

is why

when I

think

there is

a possibility

for social change

the color of

my sunset Bellini

looks more

sunrise,

less sunset—

even

the spinach

in my Florentine

tastes greener,

the café’s

white

painting is

suddenly

more Mallarmé

less Architectural Digest,

1986.

— Joanna Fuhrman

Joanna Fuhrman is the author of five books of poetry, including The Year of Yellow Butterflies (Hanging Loose Press 2015) and Pageant (Alice James Books 2009).She is a former poetry editor at Ping Pong and Boog City. Her poems have appeared in various journals including The Believer, Volt, New American Writing and various anthologies, including the Pushcart Prize 2011 and Litscapes (Steerage Press 2015). She teaches poetry writing at Rutgers University, through Teachers & Writers Collaborative, and in private workshops.